When is Bhumchu Festival?
Bhumchu is a Buddhist festival, held on the first full moon in the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, which falls in February or March in the Gregorian calendar.
About Bhumchu Festival
A sacred pot, Bhumchu (Bhum is a pot, Chum is water) contains holy water which was blessed by Ngadak Sempa Chenpo, a 17th century Buddhist Lama after he had said the Mane Mantra five billion times.
The amount of water in the Bumchu is said to predict the fate of Sikkim for the whole year. If it is seen that the Bumchu is full to the brim it signifies that the year will be a year of revolutions and turmoil. On the other hand, if the level of the water is low then the year will be affected by ailments and diseases. However, if the Bhumchu is half full, then the year will be a prosperous one.
It is said that the holy water in the pot has not dried up or become spoiled in more than 300 years and it still smells fresh.
Bhumchu Festival attracts thousands of devotees from Nepal, Bhutan, Darjeeling and other neighbouring places. It is celebrated at the Tashiding Monastery. During the Bumchu Festival, lamas of the monastery open the Bumchu for the public display which is otherwise locked.
After the ritual, some of the water is shared among numerous pilgrims attending the festival. The pot is then filled with water from a nearby river, sealed and kept safe in the monastery until the next year.
